Caitlin Taylor, Ph.D.

Caitlin J. Taylor, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice.  Her research investigates the collateral consequences of mass incarceration as well as issues faced by returning citizens. Her research has been published in The Prison Journal, Violence & Victims, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Probation Journal, The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation and several other outlets.  She has served as a research and evaluation consultant for federal and local court systems, the Federal Judicial Center, and federal probation departments.  Valuing the voices and actions of people currently incarcerated in criminal justice reform strategies, Dr. Taylor is an active member of several lifers’ groups at the State Correctional Institute at Phoenix.

At La Salle, she particularly enjoys teaching courses on Corrections, Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice, Statistics, Drugs & Crime, as well as the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which brings together La Salle students and incarcerated students for class inside the Philly jail system.

Originally from the Philadelphia area, she is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. She resides in Cheltenham with her husband and two young sons.

@CaitJTaylor (Twitter)

Areas of Expertise

• Mass incarceration
• Reentry and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals
• Program evaluation

Education

• Ph.D. and M.A., Temple University, Criminal Justice
• B.A., Ursinus College, History and Sociology

Teaching

• Institutional and Community Corrections
• Drugs, Crime and Justice
• Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program

Publications

Taylor, C.J. (2019).  MENTOR Program Evaluation Final Report.  Research report prepared in completion of JAG grant.  Available here: https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/soc_crj_faculty/7/

Taylor, C.J. (2017).  Ending the Punishment Cycle by Reducing Sentence Length and Reconsidering Evidence-Based Reentry Practices.  Temple Law Review, 89(4): 747-762.

Taylor, C.J.  (2016).  The family’s role in the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals: The direct effects of emotional support.  Prison Journal, 96(3), 331-354.

Taylor, C.J. (2015).  Gendered pathways: Differential effects of family support by gender.  Women & Criminal Justice, 25 (3): 169-183.

Taylor, C.J. & Auerhahn, K. (2015).  Community justice and public safety: Assessing criminal justice policy through the lens of the social contract.  Criminology & Criminal Justice: An International Journal, 15 (3): 300-320.

Taylor, C.J.  & Becker, T. (2015). Are Your Friends Crucial or Trivial? Peer Support’s Effect on Recidivism.  Justice Policy Journal, 12 (1).

Taylor, C.J.  (2015). Recent Victimization & Recidivism: The Potential Moderating Effects of Family Support.  Violence & Victims, 30(2), 342-360.

Wood, J. D., Taylor, C. J., Groff, E. R., & Ratcliffe, J. H. (2015). Aligning policing and public health promotion: Insights from the world of foot patrol. Police Practice and Research, 16(3), 211-223.

Wood, J., Sorg, E.T., Groff, E.R., Ratcliffe, J.H. and Taylor, C.J. (2014).  Cops as treatment providers: Realities and ironies of police work in a foot patrol experiment.  Policing & Society: An International Journal of Research and Policy, 24 (3): 362-379.

Taylor, C.J. (2013).  The Supervision to Aid Reentry (STAR) program: Enhancing the social capital of ex-offenders.  Probation Journal, 60 (2): 119-135.

Taylor, C.J. (2013).  Tolerance of Minor Setbacks in a Challenging Reentry Experience: An Evaluation of a Federal Reentry Court.  Criminal Justice Policy Review, 24 (1): 49-70.

Roman, C. and Taylor, C.J. (2013).  A Multilevel Assessment of School Climate, Bullying and Physical Activity: The Collateral Consequences of Bullying Victimization.  Journal of School Health, 83 (6): 400-407.

Taylor, C.J. (2012).  Balancing act: The adaptation of traditional judicial roles in reentry court.  The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 51 (6): 351-369.

Presentations (selected since 2016)

Taylor, C.J. (2019, June).  Mass Incarceration’s Effects on Families & Communities.  Sisters Returning Home event – Spotlight on Social Justice.  Caanan Baptist Church.  Philadelphia, PA.  [Invited]

Taylor, C.J. (2019, March).  Procedural Justice in a Mentoring Court for High-Risk Probationers.  Annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society.  Boston, MA.

Taylor, C.J. (2018, November).  Evaluation of a Mentoring Court for High-Risk Probationers.  Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology.  Atlanta, GA.

Taylor, C.J. (2018, September).  Action Research: Using Data to Improve Your Program.  Federal Mental Health Court Workshop.  Philadelphia, PA.  [Invited]

Taylor, C.J. (2018, June).  Reducing Recidivism and Creating Stronger, Safer Communities.  Philadelphia Reentry Awareness Month.  Philadelphia, PA.  [Invited]

Taylor, C.J. (2018, May).  Innovation and Evaluation: The Eastern District of Pennsylvania STAR Program.  National Association of Drug Court Professionals Annual Conference.  Houston, TX.  [Invited]

Taylor, C.J. and Smith, C. (2018, February).  Evaluation of a Court-Based Mentoring Program for Adult Probationers.  Annual meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society.  Baltimore, MD.

Taylor, C.J. and Smith, C. (2017, November).  MENTOR Program – Process Evaluation.  Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology.  Philadelphia, PA.

Taylor, C.J. (2017, August).  Implicit Racial Bias in the Criminal Justice System.  Training presentation to MENTOR Program Steering Committee.  Philadelphia, PA.  [Invited]

Taylor, C.J. (2016, November).  Reentry Court in an Era of Mass Incarceration: Redefining “What Works”.  Annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology.  New Orleans, LA.

Taylor, C.J. (2016, October).  Reducing Sentence Length & Reconsidering Evidence-Based Reentry as Promising Strategies for Ending the Punishment Cycle.  Rethinking Punishment Conference at Temple Law School.  Philadelphia, PA. [Invited]